


Nwalin Week Shorts

by Judayre



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Multi, Nori/Dwalin week, tagged in chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2014-05-16
Packaged: 2018-01-24 05:28:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1593257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judayre/pseuds/Judayre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Responses to the prompts for Nori/Dwalin week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1: After the War of the Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin visits Moria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning** : major character death.

He walked steadily, alone with his thoughts and memories as he neared Khazad-dûm. (Finally, his thoughts said, in a voice dripping with anger and sarcasm, after everything was over.) He knew the way through from the gates. Gimli had told him, and he had spent as much time as Balin had looking over the old maps. (But they hadn't meant as much to him, the voice in his head reminded him, nothing meant much to him. He tried to argue with it, but there was nothing left to argue with and his defenses dropped silent.)

Balin hadn't even asked him to come. (Balin wasn't one to take on impossible quests, the voice in his head said snidely. He responded that Balin had chosen to go to Khazad-dûm, and there was nothing the other voice could answer.) Balin had known him well enough to know that he would say no. He asked Dwalin's advice and talked through the campaign with him, but never mentioned that his axes were wanted.

Nori was the one to have that argument with him. His lover wouldn't listen when he said he couldn't go. "You're that concerned about Dáin? You already failed Thrór and Thráin and Thorin. What's one more king? This is your brother. This is _me_!"

Nori had always known what to say to get under Dwalin's skin and he couldn't answer that with anything but his fists. They had fought that night, their last together, only stopping when they were both bloodied and panting. And then Nori had left without a backward glance, and that was the last Dwalin had seen him.

Dwalin had wanted Nori to stay. He had wanted to beg his lover not to run off away from him. Nori had no desire for the ancient home of Durin. He was going because Ori was still bright eyed when it came to old stories. Neither of his brothers would let him run off alone, so they had both signed on with Balin and the band of warriors willing to risk Dáin's ire over dreams of long ago.

There had been only two messages, both from Balin and within the first year. Ori had written them for him, taking the dictation in moments stolen from fighting the Orcs and Goblins and setting up what they had hoped would be permanent homes. It seemed in less than half a century there were those who had forgotten what they had lost when they took Erebor and saw only the glory. (And those who only saw what they had lost did nothing but hold everyone back. But this close, the angry voice was losing strength.)

He had been almost alone for twenty five years. Thorin, Fíli, and Kíli were dead. Óin, Balin, Dori, Nori, and Ori gone to Khazad-dûm. There weren't many of the Heroes of Erebor left, and they took to avoiding one another so they wouldn't have to think about the friends who weren't there. Dwalin threw himself into the job of protecting Dáin, determined that he wouldn't be lost to the forces of darkness as his other kings had been.

(So good at that, guardsman. Your fourth king fell before the gates, as the third one did. As the first one did. And the second practically vanished from in front of your eyes. It's no wonder Stonehelm doesn't want you in the guard.)

He had known years ago that they'd never be back. And yet, he had to pause and weep on his brother's grave. He traced the letters of Balin's name, filling the grooves with tears as he thought of all the long years they had been together, and the long years they had been apart. And now Balin had truly gone where he couldn't follow.

And then he turned stinging eyes to the rest of the room. Ori was resting up against the tomb. Gimli had told them how the book of records had been taken from his hands. And the names of his brothers hadn't been listed among the dead, so they had to have lasted long enough to have fallen with him. They had to be somewhere near. Dwalin couldn't take the time to cry over everyone. (Why not? You have nothing but time now.) He gave sad reverence to Ori, knowing better than to try and fold him into a cleaner rest. It had been twenty five years. He would crumble if touched.

There were many dead in the room, and even if he couldn't weep for them all, Dwalin stopped by each. Who were they? He didn't know most of the ones Balin had brought and couldn't do more than mutter a prayer. Most of them rested as they had fallen, but there were a few in the back, most protected corner. They were lying neatly, arms crossed over their breasts. Obviously the first line of defense who had fallen first. There had been time to lay them out properly. Hopefully there had been time to mourn them.

But they hadn't. If there had been time, Nori's name would have been in the record, but it wasn't. It wasn't, and he was seeing the desiccated form of his lover. It looked much like all the others, but he knew for a certainty when he found Nori. No other had those beads.

Nori was a thief, and had a great love for all things sparkly. He was known to fight with the ravens on occasion over a particularly bright bit of flash. He decked Dwalin out, loving his chance to see the large man glitter. But as a thief he couldn't ornament himself. Thieves didn't keep the things they stole, and a thief couldn't afford to be seen.

Dwalin had spent years perfecting his technique to make Nori beautiful hair clasps and beads that didn't shine. It was the biggest present he ever gave, the one that solidified their relationship.

Nori had thrown them on the floor on his way out of their house that final night. They were gone by morning, but Dwalin had never expected to find them here. He had never expected that Nori would wear them. (He still wore the ones Nori had given him - was wearing them in his beard in this horrible place - but what he did and what Nori did were always different.)

He gathered them into his hands from where they had fallen, dropped from hair that lost its shine and body and then fell from the rotting body of his love. He gathered them together and arrayed them as they should be against Nori, dripping tears as he made sure Nori had everything to remind him of the two of them in the Halls of Waiting until Dwalin joined him there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I remember Jed Brophy or Mark Hadlow commenting that Nori and Dori would never let Ori go alone and their corpses were in there somewhere. I can't get that out of my mind when seeing this prompt.


	2. Day 2: Different Setting in Middle Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori joins a band of mercenaries in Harad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The other prompt for today was "alternate universe." ...That's all I write, see. That reads to me as less a prompt and more "write a thing!:D" I kind of stared at it for days before writing this, so I'm not I did this one justice.

"I won't work with Orcs." The leader of the band of sell swords was a large Dwarf with skin too pale to belong to anyone south of Gondor. He should understand, and if he didn't there were others.

"I won't have them in my command," he grunted, accent clearly northern. "But if you want to work down here you'll have to get used to the idea that they aren't always the enemy." His brows drew down, so he obviously hadn't resigned himself to it yet. Nori wondered how many 'allies' had died on the blades of the man's axes.

Nori nodded, mouth tight to show that he didn't like it anymore than his new captain did. Still, he wasn't really planning on sticking around long enough to get into battle and have to worry about that. He would learn what he needed to and then make a break for the open road. This wasn't more than a training exercise to him. And if he could pilfer some valuables off the company on his way out, so much the better.

He followed the captain through the camp, taking note of the mess tent, the arms storage, and the other mercenaries he would be working with. Most were Dwarves, but there were a few Men who didn't mind having a Dwarf for a captain. Amusingly, they were all dark Haradis. Northerners had no respect for Dwarves and little enough for Elves either. It seemed strange to Nori that the farther he got from lands where they were common, the more regard they were given by Men.

He had been traveling in the south long enough to know their customs and a bit of their language, so it wasn't hard to befriend the Men. And Dwarves this far from home were always drawn to other Dwarves, so that wasn't a problem either. By evening he was just another part of the camp.

He joined morning training. It started practically before the sun rose and apparently some of the company got no pleasure stronger than kicking new recruits out of bed for it. Nori turned it around on them, already awake when they tried to ambush them so he was able to get the drop on them instead.

The captain approved. He nodded, mouth a line, and set out to see to Nori's training himself.

"Your weapon?"

Nori let his arm knives drop into his hands, but the larger man didn't look impressed. He shook his head. "Not enough reach. You have to get too close, and that means that Men or Orcs have the advantage."

Nori wanted to protest that he was damn fast, but that hadn't helped when he'd been attacked on the road and the purpose of being here was to learn how to not be dead. He nodded.

The other Dwarf barked out an order and before long Nori had a long handled weapon in his hands. He held it awkwardly, unused to something with that weight. Unused, also, to needing to use both hands to hold his weapon.

But he got used to it quickly. The group wasn't currently involved in any conflicts, so they sparred with each other constantly to stay in form. Nori went against anyone willing and before long he had sparred with the entire company. He took his turn on guard duty and with the other duties that living with others meant.

He also made it into the beds of nearly half the crew. It was a good way to work off the tensions of the day. It was also a good way to spot the trinkets and valuables that would walk away when he did.

The one he sparred with the most was Captain Dwalin, who took personal stake in the abilities of all his people. It was like fighting a landslide, and Nori ended up on his back with more than his pride bruised very often. He wouldn't let himself think about what being on his back for other reasons could lead to, but wasn't successful at avoiding those thoughts. Dwalin would never, or so he kept hearing. But that didn't mean he couldn't try. And try he did.

When, after three months, he finally got Dwalin in bed, he started thinking about leaving. He couldn't let it go so long that they were hired. He couldn't let them know what he really was. And despite feeling like this was one of the best things he'd ever been a part of, he was a thief and a con man. There was no way he would be happy with this life. So he kept telling himself every time he felt like he had settled in permanently.

He lasted another two weeks before he finally disappeared in the middle of the night, slipping out from Dwalin's hold with all the stealth he could muster.

He took nothing with him.


	3. Day 3: Shapeshifter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwarves have a way to deal with criminals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Involuntary shape shifting ahoy.

The decision was made on Dwalin's day off and put to practice just as quickly. By the time he came back from a day of horseplay with Dís' boys, there was a skinny red-brown dog in the corner of the guardroom. His ears were flat back and he had already been muzzled, but he had still been able to do damage to himself and any guard close enough to get at with teeth or claws. He was constantly growling, clawing at his own throat to try and get rid of the collar.

It wasn't Nori's usual style, but as soon as the collar went on he lost the luxury of waiting for a good time. He growled half heartedly at Dwalin when he got close, although Dwalin kept his hands away so no one would think he was allowing his friendship with the notorious thief to get in the way of justice.

"It's easier if you don't fight," he said softly, knowing that there was still someone there to hear. "The collar doesn't come off easily." He had made them sometimes - the smithing skills he had picked up before they settled in the Blue Mountains coming in handy. He had buckled them around the necks of desperately fighting men and women without a qualm because the punished could be stopped no other way.

And so dangerous people - murderers, rapists, thieves who wouldn't stop - left the guard house as tame animals. Dwalin always made his collars dogs, because dogs always seemed happy and if he was condemning people to life as an animal it should be one that was happy. But sometimes they tamed cats, and one collar maker made his into sheep or goats "so that the community would finally have some use" out of the condemned.

Nori just growled again, raising his paw to push at the collar, trying to get it off while he was still himself. Dwalin knew he would be under scrutiny for his friendship with the thief, so for three days he stayed away to remain above suspicion.

When he took a turn in feeding Nori, he was greeted by a wagging tail. And then the dog looked as horrified as a dog could look and tried to bite his own tail off. He growled half heartedly at Dwalin before putting his nose into the bowl of food. Dwalin was glad Nori wasn't going to try and starve himself to death as some did before they faded.

It was something he had seen before and something he would see again, but he hoped it would never touch him so closely again. Every day Nori was stuck in the body of a dog he lost himself a bit more to the instincts of the dog. Every day there was a bit less desperation in the way he pawed at his collar, the action becoming habitual and not meaningful. Every day there was less cunning in his eyes, less self awareness.

It was a testament to how well the procedure worked that Dwalin was finally allowed to bring Nori home. It had been over two weeks and they were sure the transformation was complete. If there had been any hope Nori could be brought back, they wouldn't have let a friend take him.

Despite that, he had to try. Once they were home, Dwalin knelt down and removed the collar. "You can go back now, Nori," he said softly, but the dog just wagged his tail hopefully. Dwalin petted him sadly and then got up to go about his daily business.

It was hours later that there was a clatter and a groan across the house from where he was making dinner, and Dwalin went running. There was a naked man sprawled across his floor, long, red-brown hair tangled around him.

"Nori," Dwalin breathed in wonder. The man's head came up and his eyes showed no more intelligence than that of a dog and Dwalin's breath stopped. What had he done? Had he condemned a friend to life as a Dwarf with the mind of a dog? "Come eat," he said, glad when Nori shakily rose to two feet to come to him. He wrapped an arm around the smaller man, upset anew when Nori's response was to cuddle close under it and rub against him.

Nori barely used his hands when he ate and followed Dwalin, completely unconcerned with his nakedness. Dwalin was slightly uncomfortable when Nori climbed into his bed after him. A naked man in his bed, and what would Nori expect? But all Nori did was curl up against Dwalin's side and fall asleep, because he was still a dog, no matter that his body was a Dwarf's once again.

The morning came and Dwalin woke up covered by a sleeping Nori. He ran a hand down the smaller Dwarf's back and whispered "get up now."

Nori turned to look at him and said "Dwalin."

His eyes were still a dog's eyes, but Dwalin still clung to him near tears. There was hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nori as a dog looks a lot like [this](http://static.ddmcdn.com/en-us/apl/breedselector/images/breed-selector/dogs/breeds/canaan-dog_01_lg.jpg).
> 
> It will take months for him to come back to himself enough to be a normal Dwarf and probably about a year to really be _Nori_ again. At which point he will need to go elsewhere so he isn't caught again.


	4. Day 4: Mirkwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have to get out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was actually the last one that I wrote. Rivendell or Mirkwood. Thorinsmut has written such wonderful things about them already! Finally I had to just force myself to write something.
> 
> Mentions of prostitution, including implications of child prostitution. Trading sex to get out of jail. Internalized negativity about sexuality and cultural victim blaming around sexual things.
> 
> Goes with [this short](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1392592/chapters/2929531) and [this one.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1024357/chapters/3169496)

Their cells were close enough that they could hear each other if they shouted. But they had to shout, and the choice was to let their captors hear enough Khuzdul to maybe start understanding it or to yell in Westron. No choice, really. And the locks were unpickable. That was the first thing Nori tried, with the things she had hidden where Elves wouldn't look.

And that left them with no way to get out and no chance to make it to the mountain. Which meant that their quest was doomed and if they were ever released they would have to go back to the Blue Mountains in disgrace. The last hope to regain Erebor would be gone, Durin's line destroyed. Her brothers, who had given everything for the quest, would be ruined. Dwalin would be wrecked.

They had to get out. And if her picks didn't work, there was only one way. She should have been ashamed of even thinking it, but they said that if once you sold yourself there was no reason not to do it again. And she had sold herself, when she was barely old enough to understand what she did.

She waited a few days, watching the guards until she thought she had identified one who was corruptible but honest. And then she let him come across her bathing.

It wasn't long before she was dragged in front of the king of the Elves, the ties of her shirt still loose enough that he was guaranteed to get an eyeful looking down at her. And he looked interested - there was more curiosity and desire in his eyes than she had seen previously.

"If they go, I will stay," she said, folding her arms under her breasts and watching every eye in the room jump to them.

"You and your companions stay at my pleasure," Thranduil said, trying to be aloof as he usually was. The way his eyes kept lowering from her face to her chest gave him away.

"You would make sport with a prisoner? I have overestimated you."

There was an angry murmur, but the king just raised a brow at her. She held his gaze until he looked away.

"I will stay for whatever use you have for me, if the rest are released."

There were murmurs again, but it wasn't as if she didn't already know what use they would put her to. A female Dwarf, practically myth. Elves were like Men - as soon as they knew she was female all their brains went to their trousers and all they could think about was seeing how she differed from what they were used to.

And she would let them find out, if only her brothers would go free. If only her Dwalin would go free - her Dwalin, who wasn't really hers and would never be after this. She would do anything for them, even if they would despise her for it.

Thranduil sneeringly told her he would consider, and she was brought back to her cell. One of the guards felt her up, but she was in no position to protest and bit her tongue. If this worked, she would have to deal with far worse. And she would have to deal with it alone, because who would keep a relationship with a woman so loose? Not her brothers, not Dwalin, she was sure of it.

That evening, Bilbo appeared at her door with the key. He glared at her, told her to prize herself higher than that, and let her out. She followed after him in a daze, finally meeting with the others in a storage room deep underground. Ori threw himself at her, Dori not far behind, and she clung to them hard enough that Dori stroked her hair and murmured assurances.

And then Dwalin folded her into one brawny arm, cracking their heads together and leaving them there. And she leaned into his strong, safe arms and knew he could never learn the worst of her. Because she wasn't sure she could stand to lose him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had Bilbo not been able to work feverishly and get them out that night, she would have been taken up on her offer. And Dwalin, Dori, and Ori would have come back for her, which would have confused her because aren't they supposed to hate her for this?
> 
> I am just as glad that Bilbo was able to put his plans into motion instantly.


	5. Day 5: Tattoos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori finds tattoos he hasn't seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and silly.

Dwalin's hair was coarse and wiry, perfect for holding in place. Having it in his hands was the only thing Nori liked as much as having Dwalin's fingers in his own. So bathing together was a long, luxurious affair that they did rarely so they could properly savor it. And hair wet and streaming, Nori sat wrapped around Dwalin, taking his time to wash the other man's hair thoroughly.

And then he leaned closer, frowning. He brushed the hair aside to see scalp and then frowned deeper. "When did you get these?" he asked, tracing the lines of tattoos that were covered by the hair Dwalin still had on the back of his head.

To his surprise, Dwalin blushed to the crown of his head. Nori's interest was piqued and he draped himself across his lover's back. "Tell me," he demanded.

Dwalin had to clear his throat a few times before speaking. "You know how children get rebellious around fifty?"

Nori snorted. "I was a rebellious child."

"No, the ones with famous warriors as parents."

And that Nori had to think about. But there were a few around Erebor. Even Bombur's oldest boy had grown resentful of what everyone said about his gentle father. Nori could always recognize him around the markets because....

"Oh," he said.

Dwalin hung his head. "Everyone always said how much I looked like Fundin and I got tired of it, tired of all the pressure to be a great warrior."

"You _are_ a great warrior," Nori protested.

"I wasn't then. And I just wanted them to be talking about _me_ instead of him, so I made myself look less like him."

"You shaved your head."

"And my beard. I was too young, really, but I knew someone who gave me the inkings. I flaunted them until Smaug came, and then no one had time for primping any more. And it didn't seem important anymore."

Nori rubbed his fingers against the newly found tattoos. "It's almost a waste that your hair grew back," he mused. "Seeing you in nothing but ink is wonderful."

Dwalin turned, mouth twisted in a smile that was partially embarrassment and partially arousal. "It's more than half gone as it is," he pointed out, reaching to pull a willing Nori into his arms. "I never thought about that when I stopped shaving it. I thought no one would see them again, and when they became visible I was always ashamed of them."

He leaned close and nosed up Nori's throat, making the thief squirm.

"Until you admired them," he finished in a whisper.

Nori buried his fingers into the twisting strands of Dwalin's hair, nails biting into hidden tattoos, and allowed his thoughts to fly away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of the things that makes me consider if I should get a tumblr or something. I had the idea of this one a good month ago and no one to share it with.
> 
> Just think of pictures from especially the 60s with men with buzz cuts glaring at boys who have long hair and beards. That still happens (I remember my brother being really shaggy in the early 90s). So what do young Dwarves do to rebel? They shave and cut their hair short. And I have a beautiful mental image of defiant, bald teenage Dwalin glaring back and forth with his famous warrior father who has long hair and a meticulously braided beard....


	6. Day 6: Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dwalin never really got used to weather....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short short fluff.

Dwalin had been in his middle forties when they had to leave Erebor. It wasn't the first time he'd been above ground, but it was the first time he didn't have a home to go back to. It took him years to be able to sleep properly above ground and he never fully learned how to predict and deal with weather.

The worst were storms. The darkness of cloud cover was fine - it was close and dim and almost like being below ground. But the sudden flashes of light, and the loud crash of the thunder after were something else again.

Nori couldn't stay in one place. Even after the quest where they won back a home and he cleared his name, he couldn't be content in Erebor. It hadn't only been the need to be somewhere they wouldn't recognize him that had sent him wandering. He took Dwalin with him after the quest, not wanting to leave the warrior behind. And Dwalin was happy to go with him, and easily let Nori lead in a way he wouldn't have believed possible.

Still, the first time Dwalin had crawled into the bed they had rented and covered his head with the blanket was a surprise. Nori followed him, pulling the blanket off and starting to ask him a question. But he was cut off by the thunder and Dwalin's shaking. His head was buried in his arms, and he trembled almost violently.

There was nothing Nori could do but climb into bed himself and pull his partner into his arms. Dwalin came gratefully, and Nori was almost certain he saw tears on the warrior's face. His strong warrior, scarred and tattooed and not flinching from the hardest battle or the worst odds. Crying over a storm like a child.

Nori would never say that. He could always see bad weather coming in the way that Dwalin couldn't and found them a sheltered place where they could be protected from the weather and away from prying eyes. And when Dwalin shivered and buried himself against Nori, looking for reassurance and shelter, Nori would never say how much that meant to him. He was the only one to see Dwalin vulnerable. He was the one Dwalin turned to.


	7. Day 7: First Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nori gets his first kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last day. I'm kind of sad it's over. :(
> 
> This one has a lost child and a non-sexual kiss on the lips between a child and a teenager.
> 
> Age wise, Nori is about 12, which is more or less 8, and Dwalin is 50s, or 17ish.

The pastries had just come out of the oven. They were filled with peach jelly - peach jelly that was putting out the best aroma ever. Nori practically had his nose in the rack of them cooling at the window, eyes closed as he thought of nothing more than what the pastries would taste like.

But thinking was all it was, because he knew they didn't have the money for treats. He was young - old enough to insist he was almost fifteen while still being young enough that he was closer to ten - but he wasn't so young that he didn't understand that they barely had enough for necessities. So he reluctantly tore himself away from the bakery, hand reaching out for Dori before he'd even opened his eyes.

And then they popped wide open because no hand took his. He spun around, but Dori was nowhere to be seen. And, young as he was, he had never been out alone before so he panicked. He didn't make the mistake Dori had warned him against and go running off in search, but he went toward the fountain in the center of the square, intending to climb it and look for his brother.

He was moving so fast, breathless before he started to run, that he tripped almost before he'd gotten started. He landed hard on his hands, gravel skittering away as he slipped and embedding itself in his clothes and the skin of his palms. He sat back on his heels, tears already pricking his eyes, and looked down at the blood seeping up. His lip trembled, but Dori wasn't there to make things better and take the pain away, so what was he going to do?

"That was quite a spill, little mouse."

Nori looked up and saw a boy a bit older than Dori crouched in front of him. It was a relief, really. There was someone to take care of it. Because someone who looked that fond couldn't mean him harm. He held up his hands, letting his lip wobble more visibly.

"Yes, I see," the older boy said, picking at some gravel that was stuck and then wiping Nori's hands with a damp cloth. "There you go. Good as new."

"Dori always kisses them to make them better," Nori said accusingly, holding his hands out.

The boy gave a snort. He reached out and braced one large hand on the back of Nori's head and then leaned in and kissed his forehead gently. Nori ducked his head a little and smiled, feeling warm and cared for as he did when Dori did the same.

Still, that wasn't what was supposed to happen. "Not good enough," he said imperiously, presenting his bloodied palms again.

"I'm not kissing your wounds," the other boy said, but when Nori looked at him with eyes shining with tears, biting his lip and looking so sad, he seemed to change his mind. He soothed Nori's lip with one thumb, tucking teeth back inside where they belonged, and sighed.

"This will make you all better," he whispered, leaning in quickly and dropping a brief brief kiss to Nori's lips.

Nori gaped at him, but then he heard Dori's voice frantically calling his name. He leapt to his feet, fall forgotten, and shouted for his brother, running to him as soon as he could see him through the crowd. Dori hugged him tight and yelled that he should stay close, but Nori heard tears in his brother's voice.

Dori praised him, later when he cleaned and bandaged his hands, for being brave and strong. But a deep voice spoke in Nori's ear saying "this will make you all better" and it was all he needed.


End file.
